Dr. Antonio Sotomayor, Associate Professor and Latin American and Caribbean Studies Librarian at the University Library, has been selected as a finalist for the Best Anthology award by the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH). The NASSH celebrates research and publications in sports history through the NASSH Book Prize every year.
Established in 1972, NASSH seeks to promote, stimulate, and encourage the study of the history of sport in North America and beyond. As one of the oldest and most prestigious academic associations for sport history, NASSH aims to support and encourage scholarly writing and research related to the history of sport. Every year, the NASSH gives out two awards, which include the best monograph and the best anthology. These awards celebrate the best of research in the field of sports history and identifies the historical significance of these works.
Dr. Sotomayor’s recently published book, Olimpismo: The Olympic Movement in the Making of Latin America and the Caribbean, has been recognized as a finalist for the 2021 NASSH Best Anthology award. In this book, Dr. Sotomayor, alongside co-editor Dr. Cesar R. Torres, examines the rich and complex involvement of Latin American and Caribbean peoples with the Olympic Movement, serving as an effective medium to explore the making of this region. The nine essays that make up the book serve as “a major contribution to sports history and Olympic studies” by providing different audiences with broad analyses of the Olympic Movement both inside and outside Latin America and the Caribbean.
Announcing the list of finalists, the reviewers stated that “This diversity [of themes] enriches a powerful collection and enhances its overall value not only to Latin American and Caribbean studies, but also to a wider understanding of sport in the region and to our understanding of the wider Olympic network and developments. This is a valuable collection with scholarly resonances well beyond its case studies and transnational emphases.”
Reacting to this review, Dr. Sotomayor stated, “Both Dr. Cesar R. Torres and I are very happy to have been selected a finalist to the prestigious NASSH best anthology award. With a very competitive field of more than 50 submissions, being part of the top 4 books is a testament to the quality of the work and the years of hard work and careful thought invested in this project. The evaluators’ thoughtful reading of the book captured the intent of the work, which problematizes the Olympic Movement as more than entertainment, but as an important lens to study different pressing dynamics in Latin America and the Caribbean, applicable to other areas in the world.”
Dr. Sotomayor wishes to recognize the Research and Publication Committee of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library, which provided support for the completion of this book. Congratulations to Dr. Sotomayor on this great accomplishment!
For more information about this specific award, visit https://www.nassh.org/awards/announcements/.
